Meaningful Collaborations in Social Work- An ethnographic inquiry into perceptions of meaning in life in social psychiatric practice
Translated title
Meaningful Collaborations in Social Work - An ethnographic inquiry into perceptions of meaning in life in social psychiatric practice
Author
Schulz, Sascha
Term
4. Semester
Publication year
2020
Abstract
Denne kvalitative, etnografiske undersøgelse udforsker, hvordan samarbejder i socialpsykiatrisk socialt arbejde påvirker borgeres oplevelse af mening i livet. Med udgangspunkt i den dokumenterede sammenhæng mellem mening i livet og mental trivsel belyser studiet et felt, hvor der hidtil har været begrænset empirisk viden i socialt arbejde. Feltarbejdet foregik over tre måneder i to socialpsykiatriske tilbud i Aalborg—et kommunalt (Kraftværket) og et privat Clubhouse (Kildehuset)—og omfattede observationer og interviews, der blev analyseret tematisk. Fundene peger på, at socialt arbejde kan styrke borgeres oplevelse af mening ved at modvirke negative konsekvenser af social eksklusion. Tre hovedformer for samarbejde bidrog til disse meningsfremmende effekter: professionelle relationer, meningsfulde fællesskaber og meningsfuld beskæftigelse. På trods af forskelle mellem den kommunale og den private ramme faciliterer begge typer tilbud muligheder for, at brugere kan opleve mening i hverdagen ved at bekæmpe social eksklusion.
This qualitative ethnographic study explores how collaborations in social psychiatric social work shape service users’ experience of meaning in life. Grounded in the well-documented link between meaning in life and mental health, it addresses a domain with limited empirical knowledge within social work. Over three months, fieldwork was conducted in two social psychiatry facilities in Aalborg—a municipal program (Kraftværket) and a private Clubhouse (Kildehuset)—using observations and interviews analyzed thematically. Findings indicate that social work can enhance perceived meaning by mitigating the negative effects of social exclusion. Three main forms of collaboration contributed to these meaning-supporting effects: professional relationships, meaningful communities, and meaningful occupation. Despite differences between municipal and private settings, both created opportunities for users to experience meaning in everyday life by countering social exclusion.
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